A turf war on the South China Sea

The Spratly Islands

The Spratlys are the main flashpoint in the South China Sea, where military fortifications belonging to all claimants except Brunei dot the area. China's rapid island creation in the Spratlys has alarmed some Asian countries and drawn criticism from the United States.

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OCCUPANTS

Reported reclamation/ construction (hover for more information)

China

Malaysia

Philippines

Taiwan

Vietnam

Reed

Tablemount

VIETNAM

North Danger Reef

Subi Reef

Mischief Reef

Loaita Bank

South China Sea

Jackson

Atoll

Southern

Reefs

Union Reefs

London

Reefs

SPRATLY ISLANDS

Investigator

Shoal

PHILIPPINES

Rifleman

Bank

Ardasier

Reefs

Vanguard

Bank

50 miles

MALAYSIA

50 km

Note: Occupation does not signify undisputed sovereignty.

Overlapping claims

Six nations contest all or parts of the South China Sea, which has led to a series of confrontations between China and some of its neighbors over the potentially oil-and-gas rich area. A look at how each claim compares with the official exclusive economic zones (EEZ), the waters extending 200 nautical miles from the coast:

EEZ

China

Brunei

Malaysia

Philippines

Vietnam

CHINA

TAIWAN

Paracel

Islands

Spratly

Islands

VIETNAM

PHILIPPINES

MALAYSIA

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

Oil and natural gas reserves

Oil and natural-gas estimates for the South China Sea compared to proven reserves in other areas.

Oil

Billion barrels

Natural gas

Trillion cubic feet

Sources: U.S. State Department; UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea;
U.S. Energy Information Administration; ReutersBy Wen Foo, Simon Scarr and Matthew Weber | REUTERS GRAPHICS